During our camp SEEDS 099, the last of the year 2020, the long-term and short-term volunteers from Estonia, Italy, France and the Netherlands had the chance to spend New Year's Eve in Reykjavík.

Like in every winter camp, the participants developed their art and photography skills and took part in several workshops, discussions and presentations facilitated by SEEDS about important environmental issues, trying to find sustainable solutions for an eco-friendly lifestyle. However, there was always time to get to know each other and our countries, sharing, laughing and learning!

We had a lot of fun celebrating the beginning of the new year having dinner all together As tradition demands, a lot of fireworks were set off (the sale of fireworks happens to be the main fundraiser for Icelandic search and rescue teams) : walking through the city's streets surrounded by hundreds of fireworks to finally reach Öskjuhlíð hill - with Perlan - the Pearl where the sky became so colorful, felt like magic.

A few days later, we joined a cleanup organised by SEEDS and Sea Shepherd to collect the remains of the fireworks, cleaning the city Pond and the coast near Ægisíða from litter and debris   We started 2021 having some relaxation in the swimming pool, exploring the capital city and visiting all the stunning natural attractions during the Golden Circle, South Shore and Reykjanes Peninsula excursions We were so lucky with the weather that we could see a majestic sunset from Reynisfjara beach But even with a crystal clear sky our Northern Lights excursion gave us the chance to see a lot of stars, but not lady Aurora, who is always unpredictable. One of the best parts of staying in Iceland for ten days is that you can see them suddenly, just opening the door of your house when you least expect her (So there's never a disappointment!)

Many thanks to our wonderful participants!


Valeria BASCIU, SEEDS camp coordinator